She hadn't seen Shenhe wash the pillowcase today, which meant the pillow hadn't been changed or washed.
At the very least, Shenhe must have slept on it last night.
No matter how careful she was, there should still be some traces left. How could there be no scent at all?
Could it be that my junior sister hasn't been sleeping in her own bed these past few days? Then where has she been sleeping...?
Oh! I get it!
Because my junior sister has been practicing the [Dreamwalking Technique], she's been meditating on the bed and hasn't been using the pillow. That's why there's no trace of her scent on it!
Thinking this, Ganyu's expression relaxed.
That's what it is. I was so startled. I thought my junior sister and Mr. Xia had already progressed so far in their relationship that they were sleeping together.
At this moment, Shenhe finished combing her hair, put away the jade comb, and took out some nail polish, starting to carefully paint her nails.
"Senior Sister, what do you think of this color?"
"Huh? I think it looks nice."
"How about this one?"
"That's nice too."
Ganyu sat up on the bed again, watching her junior sister lower her head as she struggled to decide which color to choose.
"Senior Sister, do you want to try it?"
"Me?"
"Mm."
"Sure."
"I'll teach you."
"This seems a bit different from the one you used last time."
"Boss gave me a new bottle. He improved the formula."
"Oh, no wonder. It smells even better."
"This one is edible."
"Huh?"
"Boss said that since our hands often come into contact with food, the ingredients in the nail polish are all edible. It's more hygienic."
"Oh! That makes sense!"
Shenhe glanced at Ganyu, who had no suspicions.
Senior Sister is so innocent.
With Shenhe's help, Ganyu's nails were also painted.
Each nail had a different design.
Ganyu looked at her fingers, feeling quite新奇.
"Can it be washed off?"
"Yes."
"Then it'll only last for one night."
Ganyu felt a bit regretful. She couldn't just not wash her hands tomorrow, right?
When the time was about right, Shenhe placed the Seven-Star Lamp on the table and lit it. Together with Ganyu, they used the [Dreamwalking Technique] to enter their dreams.
Over the past few days, Shenhe had gained some mastery over the art of dreams.
The scenery in the dream was still Shenhe's childhood home, but there were no longer any nightmares.
Ganyu looked at the little Shenhe in front of her, her face serious, and thought she looked adorable.
"Junior Sister."
"Senior Sister, there's something I need to tell you."
"What is it?"
"Since you weren't here last week, you didn't know. Now, there's one more person joining us in the dream world every night to collect mushrooms."
"One more person? Who?"
"Xia Ci."
"Mr. Xia's cousin?"
"Yes."
"If Mr. Xia knows the art of dreams, it's only natural that his cousin would too."
Ganyu nodded, indicating that she understood. She couldn't help but think about how she hadn't stayed over last Friday.
She had done that because she didn't want to be the third wheel and risk being disliked by her junior sister. If she had known Xia Ci would be here, she wouldn't have been so tangled.
Wait, no. So, is my junior sister's serious expression because of Xia Ci's presence?
Is she implying that she wants my help?
"Don't worry, Junior Sister!"
"?"
"Xia Ci and I will form a team! We'll split up to collect materials."
"..."
Shenhe looked at her senior sister's suddenly determined expression, paused for a moment, and then nodded.
"Thank you, Senior Sister."
It seems Senior Sister misunderstood something, but that's fine.
After waiting in the dream world for a while, Xia Zhi appeared before them.
"Miss Ganyu."
"Mr. Xia!"
"Let's go."
Xia Zhi smiled and opened a rift leading to his meditation space.
Shenhe walked straight in, and Ganyu followed behind her.
Inside was the familiar room, where a little girl was sitting at the desk playing on the computer.
"Xia Ci."
"You're finally here. I was about to finish the level." The little girl turned around and saw Ganyu. "Shenhe, your senior sister is here tonight too."
Ganyu greeted her with a smile. "Miss Xia Ci."
"Tch, couldn't win so you called for backup."
The smile on Ganyu's face froze.
Shenhe walked over and said, "Senior Sister has always been part of our group. She's just busy with work and can only join us on Fridays. Last week, she was working overtime. She's been here longer than you."
"Really?"
"I want to play this too."
"Don't rush. Let me finish this level first."
"Hurry up."
"Almost done."
Ganyu watched the two little girls fighting over the computer and felt a bit overwhelmed.
The situation seemed a bit different from what she had imagined.
Behind her, Xia Zhi's voice sounded. "Miss Ganyu, have a seat first."
"Oh, alright."
"With four people, this room is a bit small."
"It's fine."
"I'll make it bigger later."
"Cousin, get a few more computers too."
"Sure."
"With four people, let's play Left 4 Dead!"
"What's that?"
"A really fun stress-relief game."
"Is it?"
"Ask Cousin!"
"Boss, is it?"
"Well, it's fun and stress-relieving, but it might be a bit bloody..."
"That's fine. Let's try it."
Xia Zhi glanced at the eager Greater Lord Rukkhadevata.
As the Dendro Archon, shouldn't you be compassionate? Why do you like such violent games?
Then, the four of them played Left 4 Dead for a while.
Miss Ganyu really couldn't handle it and said she felt dizzy.
There was no choice but to switch to a more casual game, Bubble Shooter, which was quite fun.
After playing for a while, it was time to go out and collect materials.
Ganyu remembered what she had promised her junior sister earlier and took the initiative to speak up. "How about we split into teams?"
"Sure, I'll team up with Cousin!"
"No, I'm teaming up with Boss."
"Why not? We're cousins, and you two are senior and junior sisters. It's perfect."
"We can't tell the difference."
"You can use the compass."
"...Boss."
Shenhe pursed her lips and looked at Xia Zhi.
Xia Zhi smiled. "We can split into teams. I'll team up with Shenhe, and Cousin, you team up with Miss Ganyu. As for the compass, I'll keep it. After all, Cousin, you're more familiar with the dream world than I am."
"Favoritism!"
"Stop causing trouble."
"Hmph, since Miss Ganyu treated me to a massage tonight, I'll let it slide. Miss Ganyu, let's go."
"Oh, alright."
Ganyu glanced at her junior sister and followed.
As they moved through the dream world, the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata walked with light steps, as if strolling through a garden.
Ganyu looked at her, and that strange sense of familiarity grew stronger and stronger.
At one point, the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata began to softly sing an ancient song.
Hearing her clear voice, Ganyu's body stiffened, and long-buried memories surfaced in her mind.
She looked at the slender figure in front of her, her eyes filled with disbelief.
"Are you... no, is it really You?"
"Finally remembered, huh?"
The little girl in front turned around, her face blooming with a smile.
"Ganyu."
"It really is You!"
"It's me."
"But didn't You... fall long ago?"
"No! Who said that?"
"It was the Emperor who told me..."
"He's lying! I'll go give him a piece of my mind tomorrow."
Ganyu's eyes dimmed.
"Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, the Emperor has fallen..."
"No! Who said that?"
"I saw it with my own eyes. I even helped Mr. Zhongli hold a funeral ceremony for Him."
"So you really didn't know. I thought you were joking earlier..."
"?"
"Morax isn't dead."
"??"
"The Mr. Zhongli you mentioned earlier is Him, isn't He?"
"???"
Ganyu fell into silence.
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